Advertising sign



July 12, 1932. c T I NK 1,866,554

ADVERTISING SIGN Filed April 16, 1932 V portions.

Patented July 12, 1932 UNITED STATES PIA-TE NTO F CLARENCE r. FAIRBANKS, or CHICAGOQILLINOIS',.ASSIGNOR To EDWARD annurson mrrroeanrnnve COMPANY, or on oAeo ILLrnoIsn oonro m'rron or rumors ADV RT SING stem ,7 a

Application filed April 16,

The present invention relates to an improvement in advertising slgns and their construction.

The primary object of the present'invenv tion is to provide in improved form an advertising sign, or signs, which comprises a plurality of individual separable portions capable of engagement witheach other in such a manner asrto produce a chain of signs 10 of any desired length, with further provision for the replacement of one or more of the m dividual sign components so that the same may bevaried, by the person using the same, withoutcomplications, the useof tools and 5 the like. This interchangeability is brought about by the particular arrangement ofslots, within the sign and sign portions, which cooperate with suitable tabs and projections formed integrally with. they sign and sign A further object of the invention is to provide a sign-making portion of sheet material, which has tabs and projections thereon cooperating with slots in a similar sign, so that the engagement and disengagement of the two .or more individual sign portions with eachother may be rendered most simple and at the same time sutficiently rigid for all ordinary purposes and so arranged that the signs, when hooked together to form a'chain, will be in accurate alignmentso as to present a pleasing and attractive appearance.

A'further object of the invention is-to provide individuah fiat sign portions containing printed indicia, together with a space upon which there may be placed, by the user, further indicia such as prices, etc., the entire device being so coordinated as to produce a unitary effect j F ora better. understanding of the present invention, it has been illustrated in the draw-' ing appended hereto, in which drawing Figure 1 is'a front view of the sign, showing a main portion 10 and two intermediate portions 11, respectively 7 "Fig. 2 shows, on an enlarged scale, one of the details of construction, being afront .view, I g' F'g. 3 is a perspective view of the reverse 9 side of the sign, also, on. an enlargedscale,

11932.; seriai no. 605,559,

showing the cooperation of various'p'ortions of the sign I r "Fig. 4 is a section along the lined-4: of'Fig. 1; and i Fig. 5 shows a modification of the construction shown in Fig. 2, also on anenlarged scale, The essential feature which characterizes the present construction lies in theprovision of individual sections having means-thereon which arecapable of engaging slots in a main or upper portion of the aggregated sign,"and

tabs formedint'egrally with the intermediate portions and having lateral proj ections thereon which preferably'are rounded at one point but cut straight at another, as will be more clearly described hereinbelow.

Referring now to the figures of the draw- 1 I ing, it will be seen that the device consists .of a main display portion 10 which may have suitable "advertising indicia :12 printed thereon, provision' also being made, as-at 13, for suspending the sign from a. suitable nail or ho'okM. *At the lower part of the main portion 10 there are provided two slots 15 of a length sufiicient to 'permitof the introduction of two tabs 16" with their laterally 5 projecting nose-like portions 17 Q It should be noted thatthe said slots 15 are of ailength ample comfortably to pass the greatest width of the tabs 16 with their noses 17.. It should also be noticed that when used, the vertical edges 16" of thetabs 16 will lie immediately below the ends 15" of the slots 15., Each of the intermediate portions 11 is providedwithtwo tabs 16, namelyone on each-edge thereof, the noses- 17 thereof facing in opposite directions. 5

By theabove-arrangement,the intermediateportions 11 will be 'inaintained inaccurate vertical alignmentwith the main sign :and with slots 15. The construction is so'that when two of the tabs are insertediin thecorlateral'mOVementof the intermediate portions 11 'relativetothe slots, to each other,

7 and to -the main plate portion In thepre;

responding slots, there can bepractically nov I J ferred modification, however, in additionto the'slots 15, there are provided short vertical presents the additional advantage that when engaging one sign portion with another, the.

nose 17 will tend to pry up very slightly the material immediately above the slot, whereby the nose will be guided accuratelyinto the slot without danger of' tearing the nose or enlarging the slot 15 itself. In Fig- 5, how:

ever, a device without this feature is shown,

as the invention is not absolutely predicatedon this construction. It will also be within the scope of the present invention tohave similar vertical slots at the other end of the horizontal slots.

When putting together the various por-. tions of the sign, the operation is substantially as follows: The intermediate plate portion 11 is grasped in one hand while, for example, the left-hand tab 16 is'inserted into the corresponding slot '15. It will thenbe found that it is fpossiblelaterally to move the tab 16 in the slot 15, and advantage is taken of this fact by pushing the tab 16 as farto the left as possible. The intermediate plate 11 is then slightly bent out'of its own plane so asto permit the othertab on the right-hand side of the sign, together with the nose thereon, to enter into the corresponding slot 15, after which the intermediate plate portion 11 is released and, because of its resiliency, returns to a flat plane, whereby the right-hand tab is driven to the extreme right of the right-hand slot 15, whereby the vertical slots 18, on both sides, come into accurate alignment with the respective outer edges 16 of the tabs 16. Inasmuch as the outer edges of the said tabs are now' pressing against the material of the main sign or sign portion immediately above, the accurate vertical alignment of all of the parts of the sign is assured.

Referring to Fig. 8, which is a rear perspective View, it will be seen just how the nose 17 projects along the reverse side of the sign or sign portion or 11, leaving a short portion of the slot unused. It will readily be appreciated that if the slots were merely made wide enough for the insertion of the tabs 16, this could be done on only one side of the sign and if an attempt were made to insert the other tab and nose, the sign would.

have to be so badly distorted as to destroy it. On the contrary, with the construction of the present invention, this difficulty is completely and successfully eliminated.

By making the tabs 16 of the same color and ornamentation as the sign proper'and/ or the individual sign portions, a highlyattr'active deviceis produced. However, the tabs U i v i H In order to enable the user to make such may be of'a distinctive coloror design.

changes as he may desire, an unprinted space has. been left on the individual sign portions 11, which is intended to receive a gummed sticker or its equivalent, upon which indicia such as prices may be printed.

It willbe seen that there are no additional parts required and that all of the parts of the sign are made of fiat sheets of material which may be cardboard, thin sheets of plastic material such as celluloid, aluminum, tinned iron, or othermaterials, although in its ordinaryform cardboard will be found to be quite efiicient. However, the invention is not at all to be limited to a cardboard construction, as aluminum'signs have been found to be light and of a high degree of permanence.

While in its preferred form the sign is made with the longer slots running substantially horizontally (i. e. when the sign is hanging up) and the smaller slots running vertlcally, it will be within the scope of the invention to make the longer slots oblique and the vertical slots .at an angle difiering from a right angle. WVhen a somewhat heavier material than cardboard is employed, the provision of a second smaller slot running at an angle to the main slot presents an added advantage, as by this means the material constituting the sign is more readily bent slightly out of the plane of the rest of the sign, thereby facilitating the introduction'of the tabs into the corresponding slots.

' The length of the tabs 16 is, of course, a matter of indifference andcan be arranged according to the taste of the designer, but the 1 general idea is to leave'a definite open space between each of the individual portions 11 and between such portions and the name plate 10. t The device has particular utility in con- 'IleCtiOll with advertising ice-cream, for display at soda fountains, but may equally well be used for other purposes, such as to show lVhat it is desired to protect by. United States Letters Patent is expressed in the claims appended hereunto.

1. An advertising sign comprising the comb'inationof a main display portion and a plurality ofsubsidiaryportions, all made of relatively thin material, said main and :sub-

sidiary portions being provided with slots thelower edges thereof, means for suspending said parallel'to their larger axes near larger portion, tabs on said subsidiary portions capable ofcooperative engagement with said slots, laterally extending projections on said tabs so arranged that when the tabs are the destination of trains at trainterminals v 'and the like. J10

relatively thin material, said main and subsidiary portions being provided with slots parallel to their larger axes near the lower edges thereof, means for suspending said larger portion, tabs of lesser width than said slots on said subsidiary'portions extending in a direction at right angles tosaid slots, lateral projections on saidtabs of such dimensions that the combined width of said projections and tabs is substantially equal to the length of said slots, whereby when said tabs are ,in engagement with said slots the outer edges of said tabs will lie in a vertical plane that passes through the outer termini of said slots.

3. In an advertising sign of the type described in claim 1, the improvementwhich consists'of a subsidiary sign-portion comprising a flat sheet of material provided with longitudinal slots near one edge thereof, tabs integral with said sheet extending outwardly thereof from the edge opposite said slots and so positioned that the outer edges of said tabs are in alignment withthe outer termini of said slots, the slots being longer than the width of said tabs, lateral projections on said tabs of such size that the combined width of said projections and said tabs is'substantially equal to the length of said slots.

4. In an advertising device of the type described, the combination of'a main sign-plate made of thin plate-like material provided with two horizontal slots near the lower edge thereof, two vertical slots of shorter length than the horizontal slots located at the extremities of the horizontal slots and making an angle therewith, means for suspending the main sign-plate, the subsidiary sign-plates having spaces for the imprinting of indicia thereon and a space for the reception of an adhesive label, said subsidiary plate being likewise provided with slots entirely similar to those of the main sign-plate, vertically extending tabs at the upper edge of said subsidiary plates, laterally extending projections on said tabs of such size that the combined width of the tabs plus the projections sheets and two of the slots being'atan angle to the aforesaid slots forming corners therewith, said second slots being comparatively: very short, tabs extending from said sheet 6. In an advertising device of the type de- I scribed in claim 1, the improvement which comprises a subsidiary'sign-portion consisting of a sheet of flat material, projections integral with said sheet and extending from one of the longer, edges thereof at right angles to said edge, said sheet being provided with two horizontal slots near the edge op- V posite said tabs, said slots'beginning respectively on a line with the outer edges of said tabs and being longer than the width of the tabs', short supplementary slots at the end of slots running at an angle and contiguous thereto, and lateral projections at the end of said tabs.

7. An advertising sign comprising a main suspensible sign portionand subsidiary appendant sign portions, said mainportion being provided with elongated slots and said subsidiary portions being provided with similar slots, upwardly projecting tabs on said subsidiary portions, and nose-like lateral projections on said tabs, said slots being sufficiently wide to admit said tabs and pro jections. 1 p

In witness whereof, I have hereunto sub-V scribedm name.

' LARENCE T. FAIRBANKS.-

will be substantially equal to the length-of the slots, whereby when the tabs and projections of the subsidiary plate are in engagement withthe slots of the main plate the projections on the tabs will prevent dislodgment I by a downwardly applied force, while the outer edges of the tabs will prevent any substantial lateral movement of the tabs passing A through said slots, whereby the main plate and subsidiary plate are kept in accurate vertical alignment.

5. In an advertising device of the type described in claim 1, the improvement which consists of subsidiary sign-portions comprising fiat sheets of material provided with a plurality of cooperating slots near one edge e thereof,-two of said slots running substanios iso- 

